Mom Felt a ‘Stab to the Heart’ After Seeing Instagram Post About Her Baby — Then, a Stranger’s Kindness Changed Everything

A mom whose little baby was born with bilateral cleft lip and palate has taken to social media to document the 3-month-old’s medical journey thus far.

But Sara Heller, 26, recently found herself in shock when she was noticed that a stranger had posted something incredibly insensitive to her Instagram page.

Heller told The Huffington Post that someone commented on a photo of her son Brody a few days before New Year’s Eve, writing, “What’s wrong with your baby’s nose? I’ve never seen anything like that. It doesn’t look good'” — a comment that she described as a “stab to the heart.”

Heller was heartbroken and saddened, as she wondered why someone would judge a little baby, especially without knowing the child’s story. She was upset, but decided to delete the message.

“I wasn’t prepared to defend my 3-month-old and why he looks ‘different’ from other babies,” Heller told TODAY. “I decided to educate rather than create a confrontation because that is what I want Brody to do in the future.”

She continued, “I will want him to educate, to be an advocate for younger cleft kids who don’t have their own voice yet.”

But then a good deed changed everything. Heller went out to a restaurant with friends and her infant son a few hours later — and that’s when a waiter reportedly randomly approached and asked which of the women at the table was Brody’s mom, before handing Heller a piece of rolled up paper.

When she looked inside, she found a $1,000 check from a stranger and a note that read “For the beautiful baby,” a message that instantly brought her to tears, the Huffington Post reported.

The money came right before Brody — who has had a series of surgeries and procedures, including a tube in the site of his face for the first two months of his life, a gastrostomy button and more — received a lip surgery. Heller was, thus, able to use the money to help pay medical expenses.

It was a gift that had a profound impact on Heller.

“The generosity of a complete stranger restored our faith in humanity,” Heller told TODAY of the good deed. “Being Brody’s parent has taught me that people care. Strangers all over the country want to hear his story, and they want to pray for him.”

Brody will also have surgery on his palate eventually, the outlet noted.